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Turkey tightens its grip over social media

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The Turkish parliament has cleared a controversial law, which has provisions to control the operation of social media platforms.

As per the law, all social media firms with more than a million Turkish users is to set up local offices and comply with requests to remove content.

The law has provisions to punish with fines those firms which do not comply with the provisions of the law.

Notably, no social media giants have responded to the new law. The silence of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube is highly suspicious and questionable.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is known for his irritation towards the freedom of speech and expression.

As per his view, social media is an immoral thing. He has several times expressed his intention to control the platform of social media.

Actually, the bill has been introduced by the ruling front led by AKP. The ruling front has a comfortable majority in the parliament. The bill has not faced any serious opposition in the law-making house, as the voice of the opposition has been sharply reduced over the years by the ruling front through various anti-democratic policies.

At present, Turkey is largely an authoritarian country. It performs badly in the index of the freedom of speech and expression.

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Hong Kong leader urges people to stay at home

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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has urged the people of the city to stay at their homes, as the average number of cases reported each day has raised above the mark of one hundred – from the mark of less than ten a month ago.

As per her statement, the health care frame work of Hong Kong can face collapse as it grapples with a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

The leader has revealed a depressing reality that the city is on the verge of a huge community spread.  

The city has brought in some new regulations to fight the spread of the outbreak. It has made wearing masks in public mandatory. And, it has temporarily imposed restrictions on restaurants offering dine-in option.

The rise in the average number of cases reported in a day is very concerning. It seems that the city has lost its grip somewhere.

Till recently, Hong Kong was very efficient in managing the crisis.

Hong Kong is at present in the state of turmoil. A large section of the people of the city is against the attempt of China to sabotage the democratic values the city inherited from the United Kingdom.

The city has witnessed several large pro-Democratic marches in the recent past.

The west – especially the UK and the US – has condemned the action initiated by China against Hong Kong violating the agreement Beijing reached with London at the time it was handed over to the communist country.  

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Iran sends British-Austrian woman to notorious prison

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Kylie Moore-Gilbert, the British-Australian woman who was sentenced to ten-year-imprisonment for espionage in Iran, has been shifted to a notorious prison.

She was a lecturer at Melbourne University.

She was jailed in the year 2018. It was alleged that she was denied the opportunity for fair trial. She denied all charges levelled against her.

Australia has demanded immediate release of their citizen. It has warned Iran of serious consequences. It has asserted that the case of Dr. Moore was one of the highest priorities.

Iran has not yet responded about where she has been placed. A group of human rights activists have stated that she was admitted in Qarchak prison – which is notorious for its abusive treatment towards political prisoners.

It is notable that Iran has not yet denounced the statement made by the rights group regarding the matter.

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Ryanair services remain unaffected despite travel restrictions

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Ryanair has announced that it would continue its flights in and out of Spain as normal, despite the decision of the UK government to impose a 14-day quarantine on travellers coming from the country.

A senior officer working in the company has said that the new directive might affect the schedules already made.

He has asserted that the company would work as usual and follow the schedules that has already been made.

The UK government’s new decision has disturbed the travel industry which was struggling to come back to normal after the turbulence created by the Covid-19 crisis.  

The Covid-19 issue crushed the backbone of the industry. Only few days has past since the industry showed a small sign of recovery.

The uncertainty around the Covid-19 crisis makes it difficult for the industry to achieve a permanent solution for the fall in the strength of the market.

It is hoped that the industry will come back to normal once a permanent solution is identified in the issue of the virus crisis.

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Hungary: Journalists quit top news website over government’s interference

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As many as seventy journalist working for one of the top news websites in Hungary has filed their resignation, as they have found it hard to cope with the excessive interference of the government in the internal matters of the organisation.

Index is known for its independent working style. The said quality keeps it special from the rest.

Szabolcs Dull, the Editor in Chief of the organisation, was fired on Tuesday. It was the triggering point of the present crisis.

Those who have filed their resignation alleges that the sacking was a clear interference and an attempt to apply pressure on the website.

Shortly after the team of journalists have announced their decision, many have come out openly in support of the team, expressing their disagreement towards the excessive interference of the government in the matters concerning the freedom of press.

Since the induction of a nationalist government in Hungary, the country performs badly in the index of press freedom.

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German nightclub case: Around ten refugees found guilty

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As many as ten men, mostly Syrian refugees, have been found guilty in the German nightclub case, which sparked an anti-refugee sentiment in the country.

The lead defendant was awarded a tough punishment of five-year imprisonment. Aroud seven others have been given four-year imprisonment each.

The rest two men has received suspended sentences.

Notably, one person who was arrested in connection with the case was acquitted, as the prosecution has failed to prove the charges against the accused.

Germany was initially welcoming towards migrants. It was the first western country which opened up its borders wholeheartedly towards migrants.

But, the incident overturned everything. It turned a section of population of the country against the idea of allowing refugees inside the country.

The far-rightist politicized the entire incident. It achieved serious political gain from the development. It reflected in the election recently held in the European country of Germany.  

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Maltese Journalist Murder Case: Pardoned middleman suffers serious knife wounds

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Melvin Theuma, the key accused in the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana, who was pardoned in exchange of his evidence by the President, has suffered serious knife injuries.

As per a report, Mr. Theuma, who was the one who played a key role in the crime as a middleman, has injured himself

An investigation is on. As per the preliminary report, the chance for any other possibility is less, as no break in has been reported and Mr. Theuma, who has been found with a knife in his hand, has confessed of having been hurt himself.

Notably, Mr. Theuma was supposed to appear in the court Today. His evidence is very crucial for the future of the case.

Caruana Galizia was a fearless journalist. She was an aggressive anti-corruption activist. She had many rivals – mainly politicians. She died in a car bomb blast in the year 2017. Her death brought the political class of the country in an unpleasant juncture. It crushed the support the then political bureaucracy had. It raised several questions – particularly about the safety of journalists.

Malta is a small country. It is at present going through a tough time. Its political class is powerful and unforgiving. It does not like questions – especially from journalists.

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UK to strengthen security laws

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The United Kingdom has decided to strengthen the security laws of the country, as a report made by lawmakers has criticized the infrastructure made to defend the country from the threat posed by Russia.

The report says that the government has underestimated the threat posed by the European country of Russia.

Earlier, there were reports that Russia interfered in the politics of liberal countries like the United Kingdom.

It was alleged that Russia tried to influence the outcome of the 2016 United States Presidential Election.

The UK government may face questions in the parliament regarding the report developed by the lawmakers.

The government may bring in a new legislation to strengthen the mechanism in place to safeguard the country from the interference of foreign powers such as Russia.

Russia is at present a very aggressive nation. Since it was ousted from the G7, it has been trying to influence the politics of the liberal world.

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NASA to launch DART mission mid-July next year

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In July, 2021, NASA will launch the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission, the first full-scale demonstration of asteroid defection technology. The mission will target the smaller body in the binary asteroid system. It will demonstrate deflection technology that can be used to protect Earth from hazardous asteroids.

Asteroids are all around us at all times. We hear about the biggest and most dangerous ones on a regular basis, but at the moment we really don’t have any way to protect ourselves if one were to come speeding straight for Earth.

The acclaimed space research centre based in the North American country of the United States of America is one of the agencies working on ways to save us from a potentially disastrous collision. The DART mission will test the feasibility of pushing an asteroid off course by slamming a spacecraft directly into it.  

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UK pop star Dua sparks controversy with ‘Autochthonous’

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A tweet made by British pop star Dua Lipa explaining the word ‘Autochthonous’ has sparked controversy.

The word simply means ‘of an inhabitant of a place’. Actually, what that has sparked controversy is not the word but the map she has shared along with the explanation.

The map depicts Albania, Kosova and certain regions in Balkan countries as a single territory. Simply, the map supports the expansionist ideology of Albanian nationalism.  

Actually, the pop star has Kosovo roots. She was born to a couple born in Kosovo. But, the star born after they had moved to the UK.

Though the tweet has been criticized severely by those who are against the expansionist attitude of the Kosovo nationalism, it has received tremendous support from those who subscribe the idea of Kosovo nationalism.

Anyway, the tweet has brought the topic of Kosovo nationalism back into the table of global political discussion.

The star has not yet commented about the criticism she has received for her tweeter post.

It is not the first time the topic has received global attention.

The creation of Greater Kosovo is the longstanding dream of Kosovo nationalism. The idea has several supporters in the Europe – especially in the region where the disputed countries including Kosovo are situated.  

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